The nurse who launched Bermuda's air ambulance seven years ago said yesterday she felt unappreciated for the work she'd put in and could no longer afford to keep the struggling service going.Eloise Bell, vice president of Bermuda Air Medivac (BAM), told The Royal Gazette she never made a penny personally from the business but ran it to ensure the Island's residents could be evacuated quickly in a medical emergency.Now she and partner Sheldon Smith have concluded that BAM, which has not been operating for six months, will have to fold completely in June unless an investor steps in with $2 million.Ms Bell said since the decision was revealed in this newspaper on Monday, critics have claimed she is failing to carry out the wishes of the late David Barber, who provided the original $2 million for the plane.She dismissed that criticism and has released the original agreement with Mr Barber, which can be read in full by clicking on the link (under Related Media) at the bottom of this story.“Seven years we were on call, 24/7,” Ms Bell told The Royal Gazette. “The only time I was not on call was when the plane was down for maintenance. It's my baby [but] I don't think I need to devote all that time if it's not appreciated.”Ms Bell and Mr Smith bought the air ambulance in 2005 after she approached Mr Barber with an idea for an on-island medical plane.Hotelier Mr Barber provided $2 million for the 20-year-old Citation S550 plane in memory of his wife Mary, as outlined in the “promissory note” shared by Ms Bell.The agreement dictated that BAM had to pay the money back if it sold the plane without permission or stopped operating the ambulance service — with the amount owing decreasing each year until it reached zero after five years.At that point, Ms Bell said, the plane became the property of her and Mr Smith.They continued to run the service until late last year, when competition from cheaper US air ambulances meant they were rarely in the air.“People are saying the plane was given to us and we should give it back,” said Ms Bell. “Why should I? It was given to us and we have worked it. We have done what we had to do.“In order for me to sell it to someone, they would have to give $1 million and $1 million would be needed to start up the service again. I have got nothing out of the business.“I have worked it for seven years. We have had no appreciation for what we have done, except people saying we have been given something.”BAM's plane was based at LF Wade International Airport, meaning emergency evacuations could be carried out faster than if the patient had to wait for an ambulance to arrive here from the US.Hundreds of people from Bermuda were carried in the Citation to overseas hospitals but Ms Bell said the number of evacuations decreased as insurers opted to use cheaper overseas services.BAM charged $14,000 per flight while the US companies, according to Ms Bell, were offering the service for about $10,000.In November, after three months without a flight, Ms Bell and Mr Smith opted to temporarily ground the plane while they sought outside investment.The aircraft was in the States for maintenance and it was decided, for cost reasons, to keep it there until a permanent decision on the company's future was made.The agreement released by Ms Bell shows that the David and Mary Barber Foundation provided $2 million in April 2005 to Bermuda Air Medivac Services Ltd, a company incorporated in Delaware.That company was to buy the plane and lease it to the Bermuda-registered firm Bermuda Air Medivac Ltd.Ms Bell explained the plane was registered in the United States as it was far cheaper to do it there than here and it meant BAM could use American-trained pilots.It could be registered in the US because Mr Smith has dual Bermudian/American citizenship.BAM paid a company based in Long Island a fee to hold its US operating certificate and act as dispatchers.Ms Bell said the original $2 million from Mr Barber paid solely for the plane and she and Mr Smith started the service by taking out a loan.All the medical staff used to crew the ambulance worked at King Edward VII Memorial and were paid per flight.The pilots, the only salaried members of staff, were American and their accommodation in Bermuda was paid for by BAM.“I put my house on mortgage,” said Ms Bell. “It [BAM] made a profit initially, to be put back into the business. We replaced two of the engines.“I haven't got anything in my bank account to show that I have had this business for seven years. I got paid exactly what the other doctors and nurses got paid. I only got paid when we flew.”It wasn't possible to trace anyone from the David and Mary Barber Foundation yesterday. Kim White, who is understood to have been Mr Barber's lawyer, did not respond to an e-mail or telephone message.l Have you or a loved one been transported by Bermuda Air Medivac for medical treatment overseas? To tell your story, e-mail sstrangeways@royalgazette.bm or call 278-0155.